Small business’s reputations can be made or broke on line. Content services provides vital writing assistance so businesses increase they’re presence on the web.
OK. There were a lot of grammatical errors in the first two sentences. Count them. For many people, the mistakes aren’t glaring. Some people would read right over these errors and never know they’d encountered five misuses of American English.
But most people quickly notice that:
- “Business’s” is singular. Given the way the first sentence is structured, the word should have been the plural, possessive noun “businesses’.”
- “Broke” should be “broken,” the past participle form of the verb.
- The subject verb agreement in the second sentence is incorrect. “Provides” should be “provide.”
- “They’re” should have been “their,” the possessive form of the word instead of the contracted “they are.”
- “On line” should be one word: “online.”
It’s admirable when businesses engage in content marketing campaigns. Doing so can increase their search engine rankings, form relationships with customers and establish the business as a trusted source for expert information. But if digital content is filled with grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, those good intentions are all for naught.
It’s not just a matter of good writing. Lots of people can get creative ideas down on paper. To be clear and effective, content should include logical syntax, correctly spelled words and properly placed punctuation. When content is structured poorly and filled with errors, the business suffers. Here are three reasons why bad grammar negatively impacts a business’s content marketing efforts.
Professional Credibility
If a business doesn’t ensure its content’s grammar is correct, it quickly loses customers’ trust. For example, if a medical practice’s website content is filled with misspelled words and improperly structured sentences, patients may question the doctor’s ability to provide expert medical care.
Clarity
Poor grammar causes confusion in meaning and intent. When sentences are constructed poorly, it’s easy for a reader to misunderstand what was actually intended. That can translate into real money if information about a special sale or promotion is confusing.
Laziness
When businesses don’t take the time to ensure their content is well-written and accurate, it simply makes them appear lazy. If the business doesn’t take the time to ensure its content is free of typos and misused words, customers assume it won’t provide accurate, detail-oriented services to them either.
Remember—it doesn’t matter how interesting, engaging or social media friendly content is if it’s filled with grammatical errors. Ensuring copy is clean and accurate is the first step to gaining customers’ trust and loyalty.
Chelsea A is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
